The Belgium front man will head back to Lille on loan for the season, but Liverpool's defence is expected to be further strengthened.

Deals for Atletico Madrid's Javier Manquillo and Sevilla's Alberto Moreno should go through soon barring any late hiccups.

And Johnson is confident that added squad strength will help the Reds who return to Champions League football for the first time since 2010.

He said: "We were definitely fresher for not playing Europe last season.

"And the size of the squad we had last season we probably could not have coped with all the extra games. It was probably an advantage last year.

"We're going to have a lot more games this season but we've got a stronger squad now and hopefully we can keep everyone fit and keep fighting.

"Expectations will be high after last season and it might be a problem reining a few people in but I think as long as we play the way we did and fight the way we did last season then I'm sure we'll be happy.

"We want to fight for the title as much as the fans want us to."

Liverpool played Manchester United overnight in the International Champions Cup final and Johnson believes Louis van Gaal can make their bitter rivals title challengers again.

He added: "I'm pretty sure Van Gaal will settle the ship, get what he wants out of his players and I'm sure they will be a lot tougher to beat this year."